Apparatus for uniform orientation of spinning cops and the like



4 Sheets-Sheet 1 RAASCH APPARATUS FOR UNIFORM ORIENTATION OF SPINNING COPS AND THE LIKE Oct. 4, 1966 Filed Sept. 8, 1964 Oct. 4, 1966 H. RAASCH APPARATUS FOR UNIFORM ORIENTATION OF SPINNING COPS AND THE LIKE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 8, 1964 -IIIIU1 Oct. 4, 1966 H. RAASCH 3,276,566

APPARATUS FOR UNIFORM ORIENTATION OF SPINNING COPS AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 8, 1964 4 Sheets-Sheet :5

- ...""munmmmmmmmmumn""""' United States Patent 3,276,566 APPARATUS FOR UNllFORlt/l ORIENTATION 0F SPTNNTNG COPS AND THE LIKE Hans Raasch, Rheydt, Germany, assignor to Walter Reiners, Mortchen-Gladbach, Germany Filed Sept. 8, 1964, Ser. No. 394,833 Claims priority, applicatisosnogermany, Sept. 7, 1963,

7 Claims. (Cl. 198-63) My invention relates to apparatus for uniformly orienting randomly supplied spinning cops or similar bobbins for such purposes as passing the cops always in the same position and the same orientation to a winding machine or other processing machinery.

Spinning cops are often supplied from the spinning shop to the winding machines in large containers wherein the cops are located in random directions. At best, the cops lie parallel in the containers, but they are not oriented, having the tips of ditferent cops point in one as well as in the opposite direction. However, the further processing of the cops, for example in a winding ma chine, makes it desirable to have all of the cops uniformly oriented with all tips pointing in the same direction. It has been necessary, therefore, to individually handle the cops for placing them in the proper position. This is time-consuming and involves undesirably much labor.

It is an object of my invention to provide an apparatus for the uniform orientation of spinning cops or the like, which affords an automatic operation and thus obviates manual sorting and orienting of the cops.

Another object of the invention is to secure the justmentioned result by relatively simple and reliable means requiring a minimum of maintenance.

To achieve these as well as the more specific objects apparent from the following description, and in accordance with one of the features of my invention, 1 provide a cop-receiving holder device with a comparator device having sensing means responsive to the respectively different core diameters at the two ends of the cop, and I further provide transfer means which pass the cop from the holder device into a collecting device under control by the comparator so that the cop always passes into the collecting device with the foot end, or always with the tip end, in the leading position. The thus oriented cops can then be supplied from the collecting device directly to the machine, such as a winding machine, in which the cops are to be subjected to further processing.

The above-mentioned and further objects, advantages and features of my invention, said features being set forth with particularity in the claims annexed hereto, will be apparent from, and will be mentioned in, the following with reference to embodiments of apparatus according to the invention illustrated by way of example on the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 shows partly in section a front view of a cop orienting apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a lateral and partly sectional view, see in the direction of the arrow 11 indicated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows schematically a diameter-responsive sensing device applicable in apparatus according to FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 illustrates a different diameterresponsive sensing member.

FIG. 5 is a partial front view and FIG. 6 a partly sectional side elevation of a cop orienting apparatus equipped with a sensing device according to FIG. 4.

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate in section still another comparator device operating with photoelectric means, the device being applicable in apparatus otherwise corresponding to FIGS. 1 and 2; and

3,276,566 Patented Oct. 4, 1966 FIG. 9 is an electric circuit diagram of control magnets in cop orienting apparatus equipped with photoelectric sensing means according to FIGS. 8 and 9.

As shown in FIG. 1, a large number of spinning cops 1 are held available in a hopperlike container 2. The cops may be placed into the container 2, for example manually, regardless of whether the relatively thin tip or the thicker foot of the cop core points in one or the other direction, this being apparent from FIG. 1. The filling of the supply container 2, therefore, is a simple matter and can be done very rapidly. The container 2 has an inclined bottom 2:: and has an outlet opening 2b at its lower end from which only one cop at a time can issue. To prevent the cops when passing through the opening 2/) from being subjected to edging by other cops, which would prevent the proper downward travel and issuance of the cops 1, the lower portion 7 of the container bottom 2a has a wavy configuration, the wavy grooves extending horizontally. The wavy bottom portion 7 is reciprocable by means of a lever 3 linked by a connecting rod 4 to a crank 5 driven by a cam 6. The cam 6 is mounted on a shaft 6a driven by a spur gear 6b which meshes with a gear 20a driven by a pinion 21a on the shaft of a motor 21. Each full rotation of cam 6 imparts to the wavy bottom portion 7 a single forward and return stroke. The lowermost cops in the container 2 are thus moved in the same direction, thus preventing edging or bridge formation of the cops in the container.

The lowermost cop 1a is seized and entrained by a suction gripper 8. When the gripper has reached its uppermost position, the current of suction air is interrupted, and the cop drops into a conveyor pocket 10 of an endless conveyor belt 11. The suction gripper k5 is secured to a pivotally mounted tubular arm 8a to which is imparted a swinging motion about the appertaining pivot 81; by means of a lever 12 firmly joined with suction arm 8a and linked by a connecting rod 13 to a cam follower lever 14 controlled by a cam 15. The cam 15 is also mounted on the shaft 6a and thus is likewise driven from the motor 21. The negative pressure for the suction gripper 8 is a produced by a blower 17 which is connected through a conduit 17a with the tubular arm 8b of the suction gripper 8. A control valve 9 is interposed between the conduit 17a and the suction tube 8a.

In the illustrated embodiment the valve is. formed by a plate having an opening 9a. Normally the plate 9 is turned to the left so that the opening 9a permits the current of air to pass from blower 17 through duct 17a to the suction tube 8a and the gripper 8. In the illustrated position of the suction gripper 8, however, the valve plate is displaced to the right by means of a dog pin 16 mounted on the suction tube 3, so that the valve opening 9a is swung to a position in which the valve plate closes the duct 17a. When the suction gripper 8 is turned counterclockwise to its lower position, the plate of valve 9 moves to the left, either due to suitable mounting of the valve plate or under the biasing force of a spring (not illustrated), so that then the valve opening 9a permits the passage of suction air.

The conveyor belt 11 is driven by a sprocket 18, an endless chain 19, and a driving sprocket 20 which is fastened on the shaft of the spur gear 28 so that, when the cams 6 and 15 perform a single full revolution, the conveyor belt 11 is advanced one division of the conveyor pockets It When a conveyor pocket 10 has reached its uppermost position 10a, the cop drops out of the pocket and onto a holder device 24. In the embodiment of FIGS. 1 and 2, the holder device comprises two supporting angles 24a and 24!) which are pivotally mounted and biased by respective springs to remain in the position shown in FIG. 1. The supporting angles are linked to respective 3 electromagnets a and 25b (FIGS. 1, 2, 9). When a selected one of the two magntes is energized, it moves the appertaining one angle 24a or 24b away from the cop-supporting position so that then the cop will drop out of the holder device with the particular end in leading position that previously was resting upon the selected one angle 24 released by its magnet. The just-mentioned selective control is effected by a comparator device to be described in a later place.

In the illustrated embodiment, the comparator device controls the supporting angles 24a and 24b in such a manner that the cop, when released, always drops into the chute 26 with the core foot in leading position. The cop is thereafter released from the chute 26 by normally closed flaps 28a and 2812 which open under control by another magnet 29 (FIGS. 1, 2, 9).

In this embodiment, the now oriented cops glide from the chute into pockets 27 of a conveyor belt 32 serving to supply the cops to further processing, for example an automatic cheese or cone winding machine. The conveyor belt 32 is driven by a motor 33. Mounted beneath the chute 26 are two switches 39 and 31 which control the magnet 29 (FIGS. 1, 2, 9) to open the flaps 28a and 28b. The switch 30 is closed whenever a conveyor pocket is accurately located beneath the chute 26. Normally, the switch 31 is closed so that the closing of switch 30 will actuate the magnet 29 and thus cause opening of the flaps 28a and 281). However, if, by chance, the cop is still contained in the conveyor pocket 27 located beneath the chute 26, be it because the cop has not been taken oil at the end of the conveyor belt, for example by the winding machine, then this cop causes opening of the switch 31. In this case, the closing of switch 30 cannot complete the energizing circuit of magnet 29. Consequently, the magnet 29 is not actuated and a new cop is not supplied. To permit scanning of the cop in the conveyor pocket 27 by the switch 30, this pocket is provided with a recess 27a.

Referring to FIG. 2, showing the cop 1b on the two supporting angles 24a and 24b, it will be noted that the foot portion of the tubular cop core has a larger diameter than the tip. If the core foot, for example, is located on angle 24a as shown in FIG. 2, this angle is released by the pull magnet 25a as soon as the preceding cop 1c glides from the chute 26 into the conveyor pocket 27. Since the cop lb has its core tip resting upon the angle 2411, the cop will now drop into the chute with its foot in lowermost position. That is, the cop 1b now assumes the position shown for cop 1c in FIG. 2. On the other hand, if the core foot is located on the angle 24b, then this angle is released by the magnet 25b. In this case, too, the cop will drop into the chute with its core foot in the leading, downward position. Since the core foot of the cop 1b, when released by the angle 24a, must glide along the curved wall of the chute 26, it is advisable to line this wall with material having a particularly low friction coeflicient.

The comparator device which serves for determining the position of the cop tip or cop foot may consist of a sensing or measuring device responsive to the diameter of the bore in the core of the cop. Since the wall thickness of the tubular core, as a rule, is constant along the length of the core, the diameter of the bore in the core foot is larger than the diameter of the tip bore.

An embodiment of a device for sensing the diameter of the core bore is exemplified in FIG. 3. This device comprises a generally conical mandrel structure 37 insertable into the bore of the core. The cop 1b is located on the supporting angles 24a and 24b as described above. The mandrel 37 is axially displaceable in front of the core bore. When the cop is properly located on the angles 24a and 2412, the mandrel performs a shifting motion toward the right. When the mandrel then enters into the small opening at the core tip, two contact springs 37a and 37b mounted on the mandrel are pressed together and enter into contact with a conductive cone 3%. This closes an electric circuit which releases an electrical pulse. This pulse is electrically stored in known manner until the sensing member is again pulled out of the bore. Then the corresponding pull magnet 25a or 2512 is controlled so that the cop will drop with its foot in leading position, as described above with reference to FIG. 2.

However, when the sensing mandrel 37 enters into the large bore in the foot of the core, this being shown in FIG. 3, the contact springs 37a and 37b are not pressed into contact with the cone 38, this cone being insulated from its holder. Hence, now no electric circuit is closed. The above-mentioned pulse is not released, and the absence of this pulse is then utilized for controlling the proper magnet 25a or 25b. The measurements for the respectively different core openings at which the sensing member is to respond, can be readily adjusted by axially displacing the insulated conical contact member 33 on the holder of the mandrel 37. While in the embodiment according to FIG. 3 the amount of compression imparted to a conical sensing structure serves as a measure of the bore diameter, a non-compressible structure may also be used and the penetrating depth of the conical structure int-o the core bore may then be employed as a measure of the bore diameter.

The sensing means of the comparator device employed for the purposes of the invention may also respond to the outer diameter or peripheral size of the cop core at the tip and foot respectively. The comparator illustrated in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, also operating by mechanical scanning of the cop position, involves this sensing principle. The comparator device comprises two pairs of gage legs 39, 39a and 40, 46a engageable with the tip and foot respectively of the core H. The two legs of each pair are spaced from each other to form a beak-shaped opening. The widths of the openings in the two gage pairs are equal, and the largest width of the opening is larger than the diameter of the core foot, while the smallest width of the beakor V-shaped opening is larger than the diameter of the core tip.

FIG. 4, for example, shows the gage pair 39 and 39a engaging the foot of the core H. The gage leg 39a is displaceable, having elongated slots resting on guide pins, so that any desired width A between the two legs 39 and 39a can be adjusted. The width A is somewhat larger than the diameter of the core tip but smaller than the diameter of the core foot. With such an adjustment, the core foot is held between the gage pair 39, 39a as shown in FIG. 4, whereas the core tip (not shown in FIG. 4) can glide downward between the two legs 39 and 39a.

As will be seen from FIGS. 5 and 6, the cop drops from the conveyor pocket ltla first into a trough 41 of the holder device. The trough 41 is pivotally mounted and controlled by a pull magnet 42 in such a manner that the cop is released from the trough 31 and then drops between the gage pairs 39, 39a and 40, 4001. As will be understood from the foregoing description of the gage pair shown in FIG. 4, the core tip will always drop downward into a chamber 434: of a subdivided drum 43.

The drum 43 rotates in the direction of the arrow B shown in FIG. 6. During rotation, the cop is prevented by a stationary housing wall 43b from prematurely gliding out of the pocket space 43a. When the cop arrives in the position 10, the core foot is always located at the bottom. At this locality, the limiting wall 43b is no longer present, but the cop 1c is still prevented from glidin-g out of the chamber, by means of a flap 45 controllable by a pull magnet 44. This magnet 44 corresponds to the magnet 29 according to FIGS. 1 and 2 and is controlled in the same manner so that the cop 1c is released only when an empty conveyor pocket 27 is located directly beneath the flap 45.

When the magnet 44 responds, a magnet 42 is actuated simultaneously so that the cop 1b can drop from the trough 41 and through the two pairs of gage legs into the chamber 43a of the drum 43.

The drum 43 is connected with the sprocket gear 46 of the driving chain 11 through a mechanical transmission 47 in such a manner that when the chain 11 is advanced one division of the pockets 10, the drum 43 is rotated one chamber division.

The comparator device illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8 functions in a manner similar to that of FIG. 3 in that it senses the diameter of the core bore and can be employed in apparatus according to FIGS. 1 and 2. However, according to FIGS. 7 and 8, the bore diameter is determined photoelectrically rather than mechanically. For this purpose, a light source 34 is mounted at the holder device 24 coaxially in front of the core H at one end thereof, and a photosensitive control member 36 is mounted on the opposite side. As explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the cop 1b is located on the supporting angles 24a and 24b. The light rays issuing from the source 34 are not parallel but have some amount of divergence. If the core is oriented as shown in FIG. 7, namely so that the core foot faces the light source 34 whereas the smaller opening is close to the photoelectric cell 36, then the area eliminated on the photocell is small because it corresponds only to the size of the small opening in the core. However, when the core has the reverse position shown in FIG. 8, then the light rays, on account of their divergence, illuminate the photocell on a much larger area corresponding approximately to the large opening at the core foot.

These differences in illumination of the photocell 36 result in corresponding current or voltage differences which are applicable by means of conventional electronic circuit components for controlling the magnets 25a and 25b. For intensifying the differences in illumination, a lens 35 may be mounted between the light source 34 and the location of the core end in order to condense the light rays from source 34 but to retain the desired slight amount of divergence.

The circuit diagram shown in FIG. 9 is suitable for controlling the above-described magnets in the manner explained with reference to FIGS. 1, 2.

As described, the magnet 29 is energized when an empty conveyor pocket 27 is accurately located beneath the chute 26. In this case the two switches 30 and 31 (FIGS. 1, 9) are both closed. If the conveyor pocket 27 is filled, the switch 31 is open so that the energizing circuit for magnet 29 cannot be closed. When the magnet 29 is energized, the cop 1c contained in the chute 26 glides into the empty conveyor pocket. The circuit for the electric motor 21 is closed simultaneously with the energizing circuit of magnet 29 so that motor 29 can operate. As apparent from FIG. 1, the cam 15 has a lobe 22 which forces a contact arm 23 downward against the force of a spring 23c when the motor 21 is at standstill, then closing the contact 23b. As soon as the motor 21 commences running, the lobe 22 leaves the contact arm 23 so that the arm is pulled upwardly by the spring 230 and closes the contact 23a. As a result, the motor 21 continues running even after the switch 40 is opened due to the continued travel of the conveyor pocket 27.

When the transport chain 11 has advanced one pocket division, a cop drops upon the supporting angles 24a and 2412 as described above. At this moment, the lobe 22 of cam 15 again opens the switch 23 at contact 23a and closes the contact 23b. This stops the motor 21. However, the closed contact 23b now prepares a supply line to the pull magnets 25a and 25b.

The comparator device, exemplified in FIG. 9 by the photoelectric device according to FIGS. 7 and 8, now ascertains the cop position. The voltage issuing from the photocell 36 is amplified in a pulse amplifier 50 (preferably a Schmitt trigger). Depending upon the magnitude of the voltage issuing from the amplifier 50, the magnet 51 is excited to a greater or lesser extent. When the magnet 51 is only weakly excited, that is, if the tip of the cop points to the right, the armature 51a is not attracted. However, if the cop foot points to the right, the amplifier 50 issues such a high voltage and current that the magnet 51 pulls its armature 51a to the left. This opens the circuit of magnet 25a and closes the circuit of magnet ZSb. Consequently, when contact 23b closes, the magnet 25b attracts its armature and moves the supporting angle 24]) about its pivot so that the cop is released from the holder device and drops into the chute 26.

If desired, a time delay member may be inserted into the electric circuit in order to make certain that, in the event the control voltage fails, the magnet 25a or 25]) remains energized a sufiicient length of time to have the cop reliably drop into the chute 26.

In the illustrated embodiments, the comparator device ascertains the direction of the cop tip while the cop is held horizontally. This has the advantage that the cop will issue by gravity from the holder device in the proper orientation. If desired, however, the direction of the cop tip may also be ascertained in any other position, for example the vertical position, of the cop. In this case, two pressure or pull members can be provided of which one engages the cop foot and the other the tip, and which always push or pull either the foot or the tip out of the holder device for the purpose of securing the desired uniform orientation.

To those skilled in the art it will be obvious, upon a study of this disclosure, that such and other modifications are readily applicable, and that the invention can be given embodiments other than particularly illustrated and described herein, without departing from the essential features of the invention and within the scope of the claims annexed hereto.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for uniformly orienting cops having a core whose respective ends are diiferent, comprising a container for cops in random orientation; a cop holder device having two mutually spaced support members engageable with the respective core ends of a cop for bold ing the cop in a given position; conveyor means between said container and said holding device for individually passing cops from said contaner to said position; said support members being individually movable for releasing the cop from said position with a given core end leading in dependence upon which of said members is moved at a time; comparator means mounted at said holder device and responsive to said core-end difference of a cop in said position on said support members; selective control means connected between said comparator means and said support means for moving a selected one of said support members in dependence upon response of said comparator means; and collector means for receiving said cops from said comparator means in uniform orientation.

2. Apparatus for uniformly orienting cops having a core whose respective ends are different, comprising a container for cops in random orientation; a releasable cop-holding device defining a given checking position for a cop being held; conveyor means between said container and said holding device for individually passing cops from said container to said position; comparator means mounted at said holding device and responsive to said core-end difference of the cop in said position, said comparator means having unilaterally active means for releasing the cop from said position with a given one of said core ends in leading position; and collector means for re ceiving said cops from said comparator means in uniform orientation, said comparator means comprising a sensing member responsive to the diameter of the inner core diameter of the cop in said position.

3. Apparatus for uniformly orienting cops having a core whose respective ends are different, comprising a container for cops in random orientation; a releasable cop-holding device defining a given checking position for a cop being held; conveyor means between said container and said holding device for individually passing cops from said container to said position; comparator means mounted at said holding device and responsive to said core-end difference of the cop in said position, said comparator means having unilaterally active means for releasing the cop from said position with a given one of said core ends in leading position; and collector means for receiving said cops from said comparator means in uniform orientation, said comparator means comprising a generally conical and radially compressible mandrel structure mounted in coaxial relation to the cop in said position and axially displaceable into the core bore of the cop on said holding device, the amount of mandrel compression being indicative of the bore diameter, and control means connected between said mandrel structure and said releasing means for controlling the latter in dependence upon said amount.

4. Apparatus for uniformly orienting cops having a core whose respective ends are different, comprising a container for cops in random orientation; a releasable copholding device defining a given checking position for a cop being held; conveyor means between said container and said holding device for individually passing cops from said container to said position; comparator means mounted at said holding device and responsive to said core-end difierence of the cop in said position, said comparator means having unilaterally active means for releasing the cop from said position with a given one of said core ends in leading position; and collector means for receiving said cops from said comparator means in uniform orientation, said comparator means comprising a light source and a photo-sensitive sensor coaxially mounted on axially opposite core sides of a cop in said position on said holding device for issuing a sensor signal dependent upon the diameter of the bore opening facing said sensor, and control means connected between said sensor and said releasing means for controlling the latter in dependence upon said signal.

5. In a cop-orienting device according to claim 4, said light source comprising an optical condenser lens of the diverging type.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,377,154 5/1945 Hurley. 3,085,713 4/1963 Reiners 221-171 3,178,002 4/1965 Hanna.

. FOREIGN PATENTS 328,849 8/1935 Italy.

EVON C, BLUNK, Primary Examiner.

R. J. HICKEY, Assistant Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR UNIFORMLY ORIENTING COPS HAVING CORE WHOSE RESPECTIVE ENDS ARE DIFFERENT, COMPRISING A CONTAINER FOR COPS IN RANDOM ORIENTATION; A COP HOLDER DEVICE HAVING TWO MUTUALLY SPACED SUPPORT MEMBERS ENGAGEABLE WITH THE RESPECTIVE CORE ENDS OF A COP FOR HOLDING THE COP IN A GIVEN POSITION; CONVEYOR MEANS BETWEEN SAID CONTAINER AND SAID HOLDING DEVICE FOR INDIVIDUALLY PASSING COPS FROM SAID CONTAINER TO SAID POSITION SAID SUPPORT MEMBERS BEING INDIVIDUALLY MOVABLE FOR RELEASING THE COP FROM SAID POSITION WITH A GIVEN CORE END LEADING IN DEPENDENCE UPON WHICH OF SAID MEMBERS IS MOVED AT A TIME; COMPARATOR MEANS MOUNTED AT SAID HOLDER DEVICE AND RESPONSIVE TO SAID CORE-END DIFFERENCE OF A COP IN SAID POSITION ON SAID UPPORT MEMBERS; SELECTIVELY CONTROL MEANS CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID COMPARATOR MEANS AND SAID SUPPORT MEANS FOR MOVING A SELECTED ONE OF SAID SUPPORT 